Couplings



April 12, 1960 GRANT 2,932,179

COUPLINGS Filed June :25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. C. GRANT April 12, 1960 COUPLINGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 25, 1958 COUPLINGS Andrew C. Grant, Barrow-in-Furness, England, assignor to Vickers-Armstrongs (Engineers) Limited, London, England, a British company Application June25, 1958, Serial No. 744,469

Cla'im s priority, application Great BritainJune '27, 1951 7 Claims. (Cl, 64- 14) This invention relates to couplings, and in particular to flexible couplings for coupling together in a flexible q manner shafts or the like. 1

According to the present invention there is provided a flexible coupling for coupling together a pair of shafts or the like comprising a first and second means adapted to be respectively secured to said shafts for limiting relative movement thereof, and one or more flexible members interposed between said first and second means so as to be resiliently distorted by said first and second means during limited relative movement of said shafts.

According to one aspect of the present invention said first and second means respectively comprise sets of rigid vanes, each vane associated with said first means being disposed adjacent and intermediate a pair of vanes associated with said second means and separated therefrom by said flexible members, said pair of vanes being d.i.

- sectioned along the line IIII in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a plan view of part of the coupling with a 1 cover member shown in Figures 1 and 2 removed, and

Figure 4 is a plan view of part of a modified form of coupling with a cover member removed.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings coaxial tubular shafts 1 and 2 are each provided with a flanged end. An annular member 3 is secured near to its inner rim to the flanged end of the shaft 1 by means of bolts 4. The annular member 3 is provided with a plurality of radial vanes 5 disposed uniformly around that face of the annular member 3 which is remote from the shaft 1. An annular member 6 having a thickened inner rim portion 7 is secured to the flanged end of the shaft 2 at this inner rim portion 7 by means of bolts 8. The annular member 6 is provided on both of its faces with a like plurality of radial vanes 9, these vanes 9 being disposed uniformly around the faces of the annular member 6 and being of similar construction to the vanes 5. The arrangement of the vanes 5 and 9 is such that each vane 5 projects into a space defined between two adjoining vanes 9, whilst each vane 9 similarly projects into a space defined between two adjoining vanes 5. A further annular member 10 substantially surrounds the flanged end of the shaft 2 and is secured at its outer rim to a ringlike cover member 11 which is itself secured to the annular member 3. -'T he ring-like cover member 11 is formed of discrete and separable portions. The annular member 10 is provided on the face opposite the annular member 6 with a like plurality of radial vanes12, these vanes 12 projecting into the spaces defined between the opposite vanes 9 of the annular member 6 in a manner similar to that described above for the vanes 5 and 9 of eric 7 2 the annular members 3 and 6 respectively. The annular members 3 and 10 are furthermore secured to each other by means of tie-bolts 13, these tie-bolts 13 being arranged to pass through elongated apertures in the thickened portion 7 of the annular member 6, these apertures being larger than the diameter of the tie-bolts 13 so that the annular member 6 is free to move with respect to the tie-bolts 13. V

Resiliently distortable elements 14 are disposed between respective adjoining and oppositely directed vanes of the annular members 3, 6 and 10. Each pair of ad- .jacent oppositely directed vanes has a pair'of elements 14 sandwiched between them in such a way that the space defined between the adjacent oppositely directed vanes is at least partially filled by the resilient elements 14. Retaining'rings 15 are disposed around and secured to each side of the thickened portion 7 of the annular membeer 6, each ring 15 having an outer projecting flange which serves to limit the possible inward radial movement of the resilient elements 14.. The'disposition of the resilient members 14 between adjoining and oppositely directed vanes is such that annular members 3. and

.6, and 6 and 10 are respectively biased apart whilst in the equilibrium position the annular member 6 is disposed substantially centrally with respect to the annular members 3 and 10., The resilient members 14 also hear resiliently against opposite faces of adjoining and oppositely directed vanes so that in stationary equilibrium each vane is disposed equi-distantly between the two opposite and adjoining vanes.

The replacement and fitting of resilient elements 14 in separate sections of the coupling unit is greatly facilitated in view of the fact that the ring-like cover member 11 is formed of discrete and separable portions.

With the described coupling, the shafts 1 and 2 are firmly coupled to each other whilst they are still capable of limited relative motion with respect to each other. On the other hand, however, the use of the resilient elements 14 results in a substantial damping of any vibrational component of such relative motion. Furtherwhen one of the shafts, for example, the shaft 1 is held in a supported position whilst the other shaft, the shaft 2 is not so supported, the shaft 2 will suffer a slight static deflection but when the shaft 1 transmits a torque to the shaft 2 and as the magnitude of this transmitted torque increases, this deflection is reduced. Thus upon the transmission of such a torque the coupling is such as to provide a self-aligning action for the shaft 2.

Furthermore, whilst in the arrangement particularly described above the resilient elements 14 only partially fill the gaps formed between adjacent and oppositely directed vanes, resilient elements can be provided which wholly fill these gaps. It should be pointed out, however, that in the arrangement wherein the resilient elements only partially fill the gaps the torsional stiffness of the coupling increases with increasing torque thereby promoting de-tuning characteristics in the coupling.

In a further embodiment, partially illustrated in Figure 4, the arrangement is such that each vane only extends partially into the gap formed by the two opposite adjoining vanes. In this arrangement only one resilient element 16 is disposed within the space defined by each pair of adjoining and oppositely directed vanes. By varying the extent to which each vane extends into the gap formed by the two opposite adjoining vanes, the

ratio of compressive stress to shear stress of the resilient elements 16 when transmitting torque can be varied.

Whilst in the arrangements described above the vanes extend radially over the respective faces of the annular members, in alternative embodiments the vanes may be arranged to extend tangentially with respect to a base ends on the respective fie-es of the annular members. f

or two resilient elements are disposed between adjoining I add oppositely directed 'vanes, other numbers of elements may be used or alternatively one or more cohtiniiod's resilient elemen't(s) may be arranged to extend to than one of the gaps defined by adjoining and oppositely directed vanes. Furthermore, the resilient elesilent or elements may be wholly or partially bonded to the van-es o'r't'o the annular-members.

I claim: I V I l. A eeuplin device for 'flexibly and co-axially cou- 'pling together a pair of shafts and comprising first and se'ee'na plates respectively arranged to be secured to said shafts, a third plate ri'gidly secured to said second plate with said first plate disposed between and in spaced relatien to said second and third plates, a first annular and substantially planar face of said first plate, a second and opposite annular and substantially planar face of said first plate, an annular and substantially planar face of said second plate disposed opposite and normally parallel to said first face, an annular and substantially planar face of said third plate disposed opposite and normally ;'parall'el 'to said second face, two respective sets of vanes integral with and respectively projecting substantially normally from said first and second faces, two respective sets of: vanes integral with and respectively projecting substantially normally from the respective faces of said seee'na na third plates, each vane of said second plate being disposed adjacent and intermediate 'a pair of oppo- 'si-tely directed vanes on said first face, each vaneof said third plate being disposed adjacent and intermediate a pair of oppositely directed vanes on said second face, and resilient means disposed between and separating ad- .aeeaive I s I jaeently disposed and oppositely directed vanes, saidflrst plate and the shaft to which it is secured on the one hand and the second and third plates and the shaft to which the second plate is secured on the other hand being rela-v tively movable in all directions with respect to each other, and said resilient means being resiliently distorted upon relative movement between said first plate and said second and third plates, said vanes and flexible means serving to limit said relative movement.

2 A coupling device according to claim 1, wherein each "set of vanes is disposed radially with respect to the face from which it projects.

3. A coupling device according to claim .1, wherein said resilient means is constituted by a plurality of elongated resilient members, there being interposed between each pair of adjacent and oppositely directed vanes at least one elongated resilient member.

4. A coupling device according to claim 3, wherein each vane projects only partially into the spacejdefined between two adjacent and oppositely directed vanes and is separated from each of said adjacent vanes by 'a single elongated resilient member.

'5. A coupling device according to claim -1, and furthermore comprising a cover member linking said "second and third plates and formed of discrete and separable portions.

'6. A coupling device according to claim l, wherein said resilient means fills only partially the spaces defined between adjacent oppositely directed vanes.

7. A coupling device according to claim 1, wherein said resilient means is constituted by a plurality of elong'ated resilient members each of which extends into at least two spaces defined between adjacent and oppositely directed vanes. 35

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,780,727 Tenney Nov. '4, 193i) 1,863,937 Jansson May '5, 1931 2,127,942 Schmidt Aug. 23, 1938 2,318,039 'Wood May -4, '1943 2,621,493 Croset t Dec. 16, 1952 $844,012 Brueder July '22, '1958 

